Deformation and Friction: 3D Haptic Asset Enhancement in e-Commerce for the Visually Impaired

摘要

The availability of Internet resources is currently restricted for the visually impaired (VI) due to the primarily visual-based information transfer methods afforded by modern connectivity devices. A haptic device was suggested in enabling the VI to feel the shape of the assets with a stylus, gaining a more concrete perception of formerly purely visual depictions of said assets. This paper describes the trials of an e-commerce website, which enables the use of this haptic technology to feel products of which VI users intend to purchase. Additional features that were recently implemented include the ability to deform products where appropriate, and frictional surfaces depending on the surface material. A majority of VI testers provided positive impressions towards the direction of development with fine-tuning necessary to improve asset deform and friction quality, while giving additional feedback for further improvements to the website.